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Pelkofer drains game-winning trey

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point senior Stephen Pelkofer drained a game-winning 3-pointers with less than a second left to give the Pointers a wild 60-57 win over UW-Platteville on Bennett Court in the Quandt Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.(Photo: Photo by Jack McLaughlin/actionpointphoto.com)

STEVENS POINT - Freshmen Drew Fredrickson and Ethan Bublitz set the stage for someone on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men’s basketball team to play hero.

Senior Stephen Pelkofer was only too happy to step into that role Wednesday night.

Pelkofer drained a 3-pointer from the right wing with under a second left in regulation to give the Pointers to a dramatic 60-57 verdict over UW-Platteville on Bennett Court, and win No. 250 for coach Bob Semling.

In order to avoid a conflict with the Packers playoff game against Arizona on Saturday night, the Pointers have moved the tip-off with UW-Oshkosh to 3 p.m. in the Quandt Fieldhouse.

“We learned that it’s probably not wise to go head-to-head with the Packers,” Semling explained. “We think it’s the right decision.”

Even Green Bay would have a tough time beating the entertainment value those in attendance Wednesday night received for their money.

Pelkofer’s reaction after knocking down his first game-winner as a collegian was worthy of UWSP notching its first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win in three tries.

“I think I knew it was going in right away,” said Pelkofer, who clenched his hand and did a fist pump while screaming, “YES!!”

“I don’t think I’ve hit a game-winner since maybe my middle school days. That’s definitely my first one in college for sure.”

UWSP would never have been in a position to pull out the win without Fredrickson and Bublitz.

Trailing 57-52 with 1:30 left in the second half, Bublitz hit a pair of free throws to bring the Pointers within 57-54.

After a clutch stop on the defensive end of the court, Fredrickson came out of a timeout and connected for his second 3-pointer of the night to bring tie the game up with 26 seconds remaining.

Platteville had a chance to get the last shot and do no worse than overtime, but on its possession Bublitz picked off a crosscourt pass to place the game in Pelkofer’s hands.

“We had a freshman hit a big three and the a freshman made a big-time steal, a big-time play,” Semling said. “On that last play we went to the two seniors.”

And Pelkofer in particular spent most of the night delivering.

He finished with 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field. Pelkofer also hauled down a team-high seven rebounds and had a pair of assists and a steal.

As one of only three seniors on this year’s roster, Pelkofer is being counted on to be a primary scoring option for the first time in his career.

Coming off an 18-point performance against UW-Whitewater on Jan. 9, he might finally be feeling a lot more comfortable in that role.

“I got into a good rhythm right from the start (tonight),” Pelkofer said. “I haven’t been in a rhythm the whole season, but I’ve been more in a teaching role this season (with all the young guys on the team).”

McGann was the only other Pointer to reach double figures with 12 points.

In danger of getting off to a 0-3 start in the WIAC after a pair of road losses to open league play, UWSP felt it was imperative to not enter the win column, but hold serve at home.

While it may not always have been pretty, the Pointers left the court with what they wanted most — a ‘W.’

“We needed this so badly to win this game,” said Semling, who thanked Pelkofer for his 250th win of his Pointers coaching career. “We had to find a way to win this game and the games made some tough plays down the stretch.”